Home Health & Hospice Weekly News Roundup

After a week of mulling over the CMS proposal to use the new home health groupings model payment framework - which could drive some provider margins into the negative - executives of giant home health care provider Encompass called it riddled with “technical flaws and concerns of legal authority.”

Kindred CEO Benjamin Breier criticized CMS for not seeking industry input prior to proposing the home health groupings model (HHGM), which he said doesn’t align with the government’s long-term intention of lowering the overall cost of care and institutional readmissions.

Amedisys, one of the largest US companies in the home health industry, expects to grow in the near future, in part as geriatric patient volume increases, providing a huge tailwind for the home health industry.

CMS published the 2018 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update proposed rule, a significant portion of which updates the Home Health Quality Reporting Program.The many changes with post-acute care are detailed here by NAHC.

Technology is helping those who need medical services and monitoring in their home. Instead of requiring nursing home care around the clock, a visiting nurse can come in and check the client’s stats, enter that information into a tablet, and the doctor can remotely monitor progress.